Survey: Reusing plastic after an infection.

Have you reused plastic fermetation buckets and/or plastic tubing after they have contactated an infected / contaminated batch of beer?

If you answered Yes, please post what cleaning methods you used, and what the results were. Thanks!

i brew sours and regular beers and havent had a problem. sanitation is key

I didn't answer the poll because I did both when I had an infected beer last summer. It was a beer I had bottled, so what I did was:

1) tossed the Better Bottle (there were visible scratches around the mouth) - I've since replaced all my Better Bottles with glass carboys - it just reduces one variable for me
2) replaced the tubing
3) replaced the autosiphon
4) tossed the bottles

The one item I didn't toss was the bottling bucket - there were no scratches on it and I bleach bombed it, including taking apart the spigot. Many bottled batches since then with no problems.

What I do in between my sours and non sours is bleach the hell out of them

I had a few infected batches in a row (gushers) and I bought new buckets. I swear I was cleaning and sanitizing as well as possible, but there were some small scratches. Bottom line for me: buckets are cheap. Better safe than sorry.


Btw, I still use the old ones to carry water for the garden

Buckets are cheap. I'm on the overly cautious side, though.

I brew sours in my buckets.

Usually I bleach them and then brew an IPA or Double IPA in them. Just because I know sours are adverse to hops

I had an infected batch of cider in a plastic bucket fermenter. I dumped and did my usual scrub down with dish soap & rinsing. Sanitized as I usually do (pour starsan into the bucket and let it sit for a few minutes) for susequent batches. The infection was four batches ago and I haven't had any issues since. Either I have been lucky, or the "infection from plastic buckets" think is overblown. I vote for the latter. It doesn't make sense to me that infection can hide from cleaning & sanitizing but somehow is still considered likely to infect your beer.

I think soaking in a bleach solution should be more than enough to kill some pissant souring bacteria.

We use bleach in the hospital to kill spores and bacteria all the time. It can take care of a little lacto

MichaelBrock said:

I had an infected batch of cider in a plastic bucket fermenter. I dumped and did my usual scrub down with dish soap & rinsing. Sanitized as I usually do (pour starsan into the bucket and let it sit for a few minutes) for susequent batches. The infection was four batches ago and I haven't had any issues since. Either I have been lucky, or the "infection from plastic buckets" think is overblown. I vote for the latter. It doesn't make sense to me that infection can hide from cleaning & sanitizing but somehow is still considered likely to infect your beer.

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the winning answer. i would not try to dissuade anyone from any course of action with their beer but i brew sours and clean beer with the same equipment and have not had a clean beer turn sour yet. the reason i do this is to test for myself the "scratched bucket" theory. sour bug contamination can occur in a brand new bucket too, not just a scratched one. i'd be in the poorhouse by now if i threw out a fermentor after every sour batch. if/when i get a sour infection in a clean beer i will certainly report it.

yes there is a good episode on proper bleach usage on basic brewing radio http://ec.libsyn.com/p/3/9/0/390da9...1ce3dae902ea1d01cb8e33d7cc5c3a58&c_id=1452161 i follow these instructions and have always have had good results. more often than not i think infections come from you rather than your equipment. (stop sampling so much...i know its hard) make sure when using this method you either use fresh bleach or add 5 gallons of water to a bucket followed by a cap of bleach and then mix thoroughly then and only then add a cap of vinegar. if you clean organic matter diligently with detergent or oxyclean then do a bleach soak for 30 mins rinse let dry then starsan or iodophor prior to brewing you will be fine trust me brett dies easier than you think

the only thing i will add is you have to use common sense and take everything completely apart. hoses off of racking canes auto siphons bottling bucket spigots ect. and you have to CLEAN your equipment you cannot sanitize organic matter and have it stay sanitized

"Toss yer plastic man, you're infected!" that always make me laugh.

...you have to use common sense and take everything completely apart. hoses off of racking canes auto siphons bottling bucket spigots ect. and you have to CLEAN your equipment you cannot sanitize organic matter and have it stay sanitized

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Those are 'words to the wise' for any brewer making whatever kind of beer - this should apply everyday, not only for post-sour beers (or infected beer, whatever that might be). So if you're brewing good beers, having consistent results and want to try sour brews... no changes required imo, carry on!



ps. I'm using the same old transfer hose which I purchased in 1989. Hundreds & hundreds of batches brewed and sure, a few even had off flavors (I make occasional mistakes). But the same plastic hose none-the-less, and it's scratched all to hell even. Other than those 3 or 4 batches, all have been spot-on and continue to be. *happy camper*

Same as the others, I soaked everything in a bleach solution and it was fine afterwards.

bradjoiner said:

yes there is a good episode on proper bleach usage on basic brewing radio http://ec.libsyn.com/p/3/9/0/390da9...1ce3dae902ea1d01cb8e33d7cc5c3a58&c_id=1452161 i follow these instructions and have always have had good results. more often than not i think infections come from you rather than your equipment. (stop sampling so much...i know its hard) make sure when using this method you either use fresh bleach or add 5 gallons of water to a bucket followed by a cap of bleach and then mix thoroughly then and only then add a cap of vinegar. if you clean organic matter diligently with detergent or oxyclean then do a bleach soak for 30 mins rinse let dry then starsan or iodophor prior to brewing you will be fine trust me brett dies easier than you think

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Great tip! A bit of a long podcast, but interesting. I especially like the tip about making sure that your solution of Starsan is fresh. After it sits a while, it turns cloudy and looses its effectiveness.

Now that I've had an infection, I plan to clean my equipment and buckets with oxyclean and a soft sponge, then uber-sanitize with a mild bleach solution (1 ounce or 2 tablespoons fresh bleach in 5 gal water, mix, then add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar) for 30 mins, then rinse and dry. Then, on brewday, I'll sanitize with fresh Starsan, and reuse the gear.

frisbee91 said:

Great tip! A bit of a long podcast, but interesting. I especially like the tip about making sure that your solution of Starsan is fresh. After it sits a while, it turns cloudy and looses its effectiveness.

Now that I've had an infection, I plan to clean my equipment and buckets with oxyclean and a soft sponge, then uber-sanitize with a mild bleach solution (1 ounce or 2 tablespoons fresh bleach in 5 gal water, mix, then add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar) for 30 mins, then rinse and dry. Then, on brewday, I'll sanitize with fresh Starsan, and reuse the gear.

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it will get cloudy using hard water but that does not mean it's not effective, as long as the ph is low it's ok. if using RO or distilled water the solution will last for months, which is what i do.

I have a fermenter that I used for a lambic and now brew regular batches in it with no issues. There is a lot to be said to pitching a good sized starter and aerating.